


Sleepover

by Xairathan



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 20:39:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7589269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xairathan/pseuds/Xairathan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asuka invites Rei over for a sleepover. Chaos ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepover

Asuka is lying on the ground, her hair fanning out behind her in a sea of red periodically broken by random debris: the stuffing from where Rei's pillow tore at the seams, the popcorn they'd thrown at each other before. Rei lies on top of her; a single arm planted on the floor is all that keeps her full weight from pressing down on Asuka. Her face is close- no more than two inches away, Asuka guesses- and though her eyes are drawn to Rei's all she can think of is the popcorn kernels digging hard into her spine. 

It didn't start with the popcorn, but rather earlier that afternoon. Shinji was already gone from the apartment, sleeping over with another boy from their class (Kaworu? Was that his name?), and when Misato had announced she'd be working late, Asuka was already texting Rei. If Shinji could go to a sleepover, she thought, she could have one too. 

She would have one with Rei. Asuka passed over Hikari simply because inviting the class rep on such short notice would've sparked too many questions. That's all there was to it; the butterflies that fluttered about Asuka's stomach every time she looked in Rei's direction had nothing to do with it, or so she told herself. 

And then Rei had shown up at the apartment about half an hour after Asuka sent that text, holding her overnight bag with both hands, and Asuka is sure she won't forget that moment any time soon- how Rei smiled as she raised her shoulders in greeting, the brief contact when their arms brushed as Rei walked in- but most of all the warmth in Rei's voice when she turned, eyes shining curiously, and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Prior to then Asuka had never heard Rei speak in anything but a monotone, but she heard an entire spectrum of emotion when they tried to select a movie. Tonight, Asuka has learned things about Rei Ayanami that no one else knows: that her favorite movie genre is Sci-fi, that her favorite snack is popcorn, and that she prefers lying on the floor against the couch rather than sitting on it. 

In that space on the floor between the two couch arms, something had happened. Maybe it was the butterflies in Asuka's stomach reaching her brain and taking control, maybe it was Asuka mistaking a prolonged yawn as an invitation for popcorn; maybe she just wanted to pretend, for one satisfying moment, that whatever she did had as much meaning in Rei's mind as it did in hers. 

So she threw a piece of popcorn at Rei. 

Rei blinked. 

There was a split second that Asuka can recall where her breath caught in her chest, chasing the butterflies away, and she wondered if she'd gone too far. Her mouth was halfway open, an apology forming on her lips, when Rei reached for the popcorn bowl and returned fire. 

Asuka doesn't remember who grabbed the popcorn bowl and who just grabbed a handful, but from the smashed pieces of popcorn lying all across the living room, they'd been evenly matched. And then it didn't even matter when, seconds after running out of ammo, Rei retreated into the hall and returned with the pillows on Asuka's bed. It wasn't fair, but Asuka never played fair. If Rei didn't, it only made them even. 

She tackled Rei to the ground, snagging a pillow in the chaos and earning a good hit to the chest for it. Then she chased Rei around the room, swinging her pillow like a sword, and held the advantage until Rei slipped on the popcorn bowl, left on the ground and forgotten, and tumbled into the stereo system. 

That was when, to Asuka's horror, she learned something about Misato: she loved 80's music. "And not even the good songs!" Asuka snapped, moving to turn it off, when her wrist stopped moving. Or rather, Rei had grabbed her wrist, and Asuka just hadn't noticed. 

She stared down at Rei's hand until Rei finally let go and spoke, her voice still soft, but audible for some reason. And then Asuka noticed just how close she was to Rei, close enough to see the faint pink tinge on Rei's cheeks, and she barely even heard what Rei said: that they should dance. 

Her initial response was no. Asuka did not dance, though she knew how; to her, it was a useless skill that she'd never need to use. Then Rei's face began to fall, and Asuka reached out to her and pulled them together, placing her other hand on Rei's waist as the radio played a new song, one that Asuka did not know the name to but which to her will forever suggest the warmth of Rei's body against hers, and their clumsy progression around the room, treading on bits of popcorn. 

They didn't even complete one circuit before Rei stumbled, unused to this form of synchronized and sometimes backwards movement. 

Asuka fell first, and Rei landed on her. 

And now Asuka stares up at Rei, aware that their closeness will not hide her flushed cheeks; she wonders if, merely by gazing into her eyes, Rei somehow knows how quickly her heart is beating and who it is beating for. 

Something brushes Asuka's cheek. A feather from Rei's pillow, perhaps, but she does not look to confirm it: that would mean looking away from Rei. A thumb comes into view, then fingers- all pale. It's Rei's hand. 

Before Asuka can ask what this means, Rei closes her eyes. It is the strangeness of this gesture that keeps Asuka from sitting up, although Rei's face still seems to grow closer. Then there is warmth all over, creeping up from her toes and burning in her chest, and when Asuka tries to take a breath she finds only more of it. She feels a hand on her hip that wasn't there a moment ago. 

By the time Asuka realizes she has been kissed, Rei is already gone. She moves about the room to the sound of the radio, gathering pieces of flattened popcorn in her hands. Asuka climbs to her feet, her motions guided by the slow strumming of guitar strings, and follows after her. 

"I think I won," Rei says, and there is that warmth again: in her eyes, in her voice. 

"I want a rematch," Asuka replies, and reaches for the collar of Rei's shirt. Little bits of popcorn rain down around their feet to be picked up again later. 

Asuka doesn't care. Neither does Rei.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little experiment with writing styles, since I won't be posting anything lengthy until my next project is done. That said, I hope this was enjoyable. 
> 
> You guys can probably tell I still suck at thinking up fic titles, can't you.


End file.
